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WTJU Rock 2017 Top Tens

Here are the long-awaited top 10s (whether albums, singles, or shows) of 2017 from WTJU’s rock DJs! Numbers-wise, Kendrick Lamar’s masterpiece DAMN. appears most often in these top 10s, but Juana Molina’sHalo and Slowdive’sSlowdive were also favorites. Check them out:

Nick Rubin/Poubelle (“Radio Freedonia,” Saturdays 2-4pm)MAVIS STAPLESIf All I Was Was Black (Anti-)ADAM OSTRARBrawls in the Briar (Super Secret)JACK COOPER Sandgrown (Trouble in Mind)MARTY STUART AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVESWay Out West (Superlatone)OPEN MIKE EAGLEBrick Body Kids Still Daydream (Mello)JACKIE SHANEAny Other Way (Numero)VARIOUSEven a Tree Can Shed Tears (Light in the Attic)VARIOUSSpace, Energy & Light: Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88 (Soul Jazz)

David Moltz (substitute)HISS GOLDEN MESSENGERHallelujah Anyhow (Merge)
Reverb-drenched, soulful vocals float above laid-back, country-tinged arrangements on the ninth studio album from this North Carolina troubadour.JUANA MOLINAHalo (Crammed Discs)
Experimental synth- and guitar-driven music from this Argentine chanteuse with a growing cult following.KENDRICK LAMARDAMN. (Interscope / Top Dawg Entertainment)
The leading voice in hip-hop today returns with an album whose sparse, iconic packing reflects its seamless production and thematic weight.KING KRULE The OOZ (True Panther / XL)
A collage of an album from this twenty-three-year-old English singer/producer/songwriter that is at once forward-looking hip-hop, old school R&B, and bedroom-recorded indie rock.LUKA PRODUCTIONSFasokan (Sahel Sounds)
Self-described “new age music from West Africa” that combines the essence of synth-based dream pop and atmospheric field recordings with native instruments like the kora and balafon.THE MAGNETIC FIELDS 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch)
Another herculean songwriting and genre-hopping effort from the same musical mind behind ’69 Love Songs’ nearly two decades ago; Stephin Merritt is in a class all his own.THE NATIONALSleep Well Beast (4AD)
The dramatic, literary, and larger-than-life-sounding seventh album from a band that isn’t going into middle age quietly.AWA POULOPoulo Warali (Awesome Tapes from Africa)
The first internationally distributed release from this Malian folk-pop singer contains infectious rhythms punctuated by cyclical flute, lute, and guitar.SAMPHAProcess (Young Turks)
A fragile debut album from this English neo soul singer, full of heartbreaking ballads and experimental R&B excursions.SLOWDIVESlowdive (Dead Oceans)
The first album in 22 years from these shoegazer pioneers sounds just as gorgeous and challenging as their seminal works.

Erin O’Hare (“Just Take This With You,” Mondays 11pm-1am)
RAPSODYLaila’s Wisdom (Def Jam)
All of Rapsody’s words are better than mine, so I’m not even gonna try.MOSES SUMNEY Aromanticism (Jagjaguwar)
Stunning neo-soul debut about lonliness that’s good aural company whether you’re lonely or not.FEISTPleasure (Interscope)
Feist makes a 90-degree turn with every album she releases; here’s another.DANIELE LUPPI AND PARQUET COURT (FEAT. KAREN O) MILANO (Columbia)
Anything Karen O touches turns to gold, and the vibe of this album is just so damn cool.CATE LE BONRock Pool (EP) (Drag City)
Another stellar release from the queen of quirk-pop guitar.KENDRICK LAMARDAMN. (Interscope / Top Dawg Entertainment)
DUH.NOGA EREZOff the Radar (City Slang)
An album full of bold, delicious bangers from a young Israeli producer and electronic musician. I hear she improvises most of her lyrics after every other part of the song has been built.DEVON SPROULE The Gold String (Tin Angel Records)
A tender album full of Sproule’s undying musical and lyrical creativity, it’s a must-listen in times of constant despair.ILLITERATE LIGHTEgo Flora I (EP)
Harrisonburg-based alt.-rock-art-folk duo that puts on the best live show I’ve ever seen. The EP can’t possibly capture the live energy, but these are gorgeous songs that capture the scary and beautiful shit that comes with growing up.BJORKUtopia (One Little Indian)
Bjork gets personal in what sounds like a space-age botanical garden.

Sean McGoey (“Straight from the Crate,” Thursdays 1-3am)KENDRICK LAMARDAMN. (Interscope / Top Dawg Entertainment)
There’s hardly anything to even be said about this album. It’s phenomenal. Highlights: Just go listen to the whole album, ya dummy. Then listen to it backward.LORDE Melodrama (Republic)
An album whose hit single (“Green Light”) might also be the least impressive song on the record. Highlights: “The Louvre,” “Liability”GANG OF YOUTHS“The Heart Is a Muscle” (Mosy)
A huge sweeping anthem similar to The War on Drugs, but crossed with the energy of punk bands like The Gaslight Anthem. My single favorite song of the year.CHARLY BLISSGuppy (Barsuk)
A delightful collection of poppy punk songs delivered via Eva Hendricks’s wonderfully snotty voice. Highlights: “Percolator,” “Glitter.”CHRIS STAPLETON “Broken Halos” (Mercury Nashville)
Stapleton and Jason Isbell spent the year fighting for the best-songwriter-in-the-game title. “Broken Halos” was a perfect canvas for his smooth, yet powerful, voice.MOUNT EERIE“Real Death” (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
A song whose devastating power comes directly from its simplicity. His knees fail, his brain fails, words fail. It wrecks you from the inside out.PHOEBE BRIDGERS“Motion Sickness” (Dead Oceans)
Internal conflict and turmoil for days. Bouncy drums and laid-back guitar lines are the backdrop for the story of leaving a relationship feeling used and sorry and numb all at the same time.KESHAWoman (Kemosabe)
Triumphant return. Kesha dropped the $ from her name and produced an album that is joyful, defiant, and proud. Highlights: “Woman,” “Praying”WHITE REAPER“Judy French” (Polyvinyl)
The feeling of being young and passing notes in class to a girl you love (reflected in the music video) distilled into song form, set over crunchy-yet-shimmering guitar.THE DISTRICTS“If Before I Wake” (Fat Possum)
When the guitars hit (you’ll know it), the track launches into the stratosphere. My favorite song of the year until I heard Gang of Youths.

Jimmy Bullis/DJ Walt (“Just Take This With You,” Mondays 11pm-1am)OFFICER JENNY God of Death (Self-Released)VAR Veitur (Self-Released)BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE Hug Of Thunder (Arts & Crafts)EMPEROR X Oversleepers International (Tiny Engines)FLOTATION TOY WARNING The Machine That Made Us (Tailtres)

Steven Kretzmann / Stevik (“Merging With the Night,” Wenesdays 11pm-1am)THIS IS THE KIT Moonshine Freeze (Rough Trade)
This great album from a British folk-rock project headed by Kate Stables features rootsy arrangements of banjo, horns and various percussion. Stables’ vocals are eerily similar to Sandy Denny.JUANA MOLINA Halo (Domino)
This immensely creative Argentinian musician weaves together erratic beats, electronics, guitar loops and treated Spanish vocals. There’s not a mediocre track on the entire album.AUSTRA Future Politics (Domino)
The 3rd album from this Canadian band is a high quality synth-pop recording with great female viocals throughout.GRACIE AND RACHEL Grace and Rachel (Gracie and Rachel)
This duo’s debut album features hauntingly beautiful vocals, piano and violin showcasing their classical training mixed with pop hooks.OVERCOATS Young (Art & Crafts)
Shifting from folk to pop to electronic, the debut album of this NYC-based female duo features gorgeous harmonizing vocals.THE MAGNETIC FIELDS 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch)
Lead singer Stephin Merritt wrote a song for each of his fifty years, resulting in a clever autobiographical album in the musical tradition of their previous recordings, featuring Merritt’s bass vocalsSPARKS Hippopotamus (BMG)
Brothers Ron & Russell Mael, with their 26th studio album, continue stretching the boundaries of rock. A marvelous collection of brilliantly-sung tongue-in-cheek lyrics with infectious melodies.WES SWING And the Heart (Wes Swing)
Cville-based singer-songwriter and cellist’s 2nd album is a blend of Swing’s literary songwriting with production and analog electronics by Paul Curreri and backing vocals by Devon Sproule.MR. ELEVATOR & THE BRAIN HOTEL When the Morning Greets You (Rad Cat)
A far-out and fun psychedelic pop album from this LA band with a great name.SNEAKS It’s a Myth (Merge)
A stripped-down indie rock/hip hop hybrid album from DC’s Eva Moolchan. Its ten tracks total under 18 minutes, featuring catchy sing-song spoken words.PAUL CURRERI & DEVON SPROULE “Train Outside the House” (self-released on www.patreon.com)
Cville’s producer (Paul) and singer-songwiters have been releasing a few singles each month on patreon.com. This fun, catchy, electronic song is my favorite single release of the year.

Matthew (“Carry the Zero,” Thursday 2-4pm)MOON DUO Occult Architecture Vol. 2 (Sacred Bones)
vol.2 really stepped up the whole Occult series. what a great year for this bandDELICATE STEVE This Is Steve (Anti-)
this is delightfulKING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD Sketches of Brunswick East (ATO)
so many songs this year by these guys and this album completely surprised me. well played GizBIG WALNUTS YONDER Big Walnuts Yonder (Sargent House)
Mike Watt (Minutemen, The Stooges), Nels Cline (Wilco, Nels Cline Singers), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos)THE SHINS Heartworms (Sub Pop)
great comeback album after that last not-so-listened to Port of Morrow (2012)NOVELLER A Pink Sunset for No One (Fire)
dreamyROD HAMILTON & TIFFANT SEAL Moon Lush (Sounds of the Dawn)
If I owned a spa; this would be the jams you’d hear in the sauna roomPHISH The Bakers Dozen (Madison Square Garden)
i attended 4 of the 13 donut themed shows at a 13 night run in the city this summer. they didn’t repeat one song. Simply amazing.DAVID AXELRODTranscendental Axelrod: Sources and Samples of David Axelrod (WTJU Rock Marathon)
Good god what an amazing show this was. Several Rock DJs comtributed to one of my favorite WTJU shows of all time. Big ups to Sister Pirate Jenny, StevieV, & BaconFatSIGRID “Don’t Kill My Vibe”
i easily listened to this song 23904833402895723984572 times this year.

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